Transcendent
by Angry Pencil Wielder
Summary: [Tran·scend·ent (adjective): beyond or above the range of normal] Ichigo died at age thirteen. Six years later, Karin becomes the Substitute Shinigami in his stead. When the siblings meet again, it is as enemies. "I-ichigo?" The terrifying creature that had once been her brother stared down at Karin. But it wasn't Ichigo anymore. Before her stood the King of Hueco Mundo.
1. Howling at the Hollow Moon

Part One: Rise of the Hollow King

Chapter One: Howling at the Hollow Moon

* * *

 ** _"Beyond the edge of the world there's a space where emptiness and substance neatly overlap, where past and future form a continuous, endless loop. And, hovering about, there are signs no one has ever read, chords no one has ever heard."  
-Haruki Murakami_**

* * *

Night was the realm of predators. All dark things hunted when the sun vanished from her perch in the sky. It was nature's rule, that the deadly would come out to stalk the black.

Such laws applied to the undead as well.

Hollows, the most terrifying of monsters.

Known to few humans, but to all souls, the creatures of sorrow killed and consumed without remorse, for they had no heart left to feel guilt with.

That was what made hollows so utterly terrifying. Instead of a heart, the beasts of emptiness had a massive gaping hole where the organ should be. And adorning their faces, were grotesque masks that his the tortured expressions beneath.

Hollows couldn't help what they were. The creatures of suffering were forced into their existence by either refusing to let go of their past lives, or being turned by another hollow. Such was the never-ending cycle.

Hueco Mundo, the home of all hollows, was a desolate and dead world where only the strong survived. For a hollow to grow stronger, it must consume souls. Hueco Mundo was nay-unlivable for newborn hollows to survive in, so they began their hunts in the World of the Living.

As such, the mournful roar that echoed through the slumbering Kurikara Town was not unexpected. What was unexpected was the young boy running from the lumbering giant.

To a living soul, the bright strawberry blonde hair would have been the eye-catching oddity. But to a soul, the boy's unnaturally massive reiatsu was the jaw-dropper. A living being with so much spiritual energy was unheard of.

So it came as no wonder that a hollow would be desperately chasing such a soul. So much reiatsu could easily push any hollow into its next evolution.

"Ichigo!"

The cry pierced the night air like a serrated knife. The boy glanced behind him to see a small girl in the distance. The distraction cost him his life.

The black haired child watched in horror as the monster caught up with her big brother. Ichigo hadn't time even to scream before a fanged maw bit into him, killing the boy instantly. The little girl vomited at the horrific noises coming from the dinning monster. The was thick with blood and the only noise to be heard was the crunches and squishes of a corpse being eaten and the soft retches of the black haired girl.

Heavy footsteps pulled the girl's head from the ground and her to unfurl just the slightest from the fetal position in which she lay.

She was surprised to see the monster was not coming to eat her as well, but was instead twitching oddly and moaning under its breath.

The creature slashed a clawed hand through the air which seemed to tear a hole in reality itself. Without thought to the traumatized child lying on the road, the hollow lumbered through the black maw and into oblivion.

The girl's head fell to the cold concrete as she fainted.

* * *

 _I've been running from it all my lifetime  
There's nothing wrong with you, I'm searching for my right mind  
Oh, you should've seen it they were resting on the restless  
This happened, literally - woke up I was headless  
I woke up I was headless_

* * *

Moments later, another black tear appeared, but this time it hovered over white sand rather than black pavement. The grotesque hollow stumbled out, its body bulging in odd places, twitching and withering, as if there were a second creature attempting to burst free from its living prison.

The hollow gave a pained howl as it fell onto its side, flesh boiling as it tore into bloody shreds.

This was no normal evolution.

The hollow's head fell back as it gave a death rattle, breath leaving it forever. The crystal forest seemed to hold its breath as it waited for something to happen. Seconds trickled by but all remained still.

The world was about to let out a sigh of relief when an aura like no other burst into existence. As it did, a form erupted from the hollow's corpse.

Blood and intestines were flung across the wooded expanse as the newborn monster broke from its organic prison. The beast screeched, its massive white body flailing around as it tumbled from the shredded carcass.

It landed with a 'thump', then lay still.

A pair of golden eyes slid open, their iris surrounded by a black sclera. Its horse-like nostrils flared as the new hollow took a deep breath. Its reptilian jaws parted in exhale, revealing wickedly sharp teeth and a blue tongue.

The creature was massive, somehow larger than the hollow it had been born from. Its body was long and serpentine, covered from nose to tail in white armor. It had four short legs that ended in avian like paws, yet with forelegs possessing possible thumbs.

It had a barrel chest and long neck, its head horse-like but with bull horns raising from its brow. A mane of thick orange hair started from between its horns and traveled down the length of its neck, over its back, and ended in a long tuft at the tip of its tail.

From above its shoulder blades grew two glorious wings.

In its purest definition of the term, the newborn hollow was a Japanese dragon.

* * *

 _Motherfucker I'll be back from the dead soon  
I'll be watching from the center of the hollow moon  
Oh, oh my God I think I might've made a mistake  
Waiting patiently was waiting taking up space  
We are waiting taking up space_

* * *

My eyes blink open for the first time. Sluggish, heavy lids. So tired.

 _But to be tired is to die._

I raise my head. It goes much higher than I expect it to, which some corner of my mind finds odd. No matter.

I look around.

I'm in a forest. I don't know how I know what a forest is, since I've never seen one before as far as I know, but somehow I know.

Instinct?

Beneath me is cool sand. Around me are massive trees. They look odd though, which is once again unusual. Since when do I know what a tree is supposed to look like?

I crane my neck upward. Above me is darkness. Not the black of a night sky, but the shadow of a roof. Something is above the forest.

 _What is this place?'_

I sigh through my nose. _Where_ isn't as important as ' _what will I do now?'_

Survive. I will survive, I decide.

I push myself to my feet.

All four of them.

 _Wait… four?_

I look down at myself. My skin is scaled alabaster white armor. My long neck connects to a thick barrel chest. From the chest are two short but strong legs, tipped with claws. My head swings around to look at the rest of me. My body is long and just as white as my neck and chest. A similar pair of legs extend from my narrow hips. A long tail stretches out behind me, the tip waving back and forth without conscious thought.

There is a weight on my back. Growing from behind my shoulder blades are a pair of massive black wings, each longer than my body. They're a bit tattered, but amazingly powerful.

I give an experimental beat. A storm of sand and wind howls around me, so great are my wing-beats.

For some reason, my appearance surprises me.

Just another mystery for me to ponder at a later date.

So absorbed I was in studying my new form, it took me several minutes to notice the hunger. But once it made itself known, there was no way for me to ignore it.

I collapse, the crippling emptiness rendering me a quivering lump on the sand. My jaws part as I gasp for breath. The pain in my chest, it's unbearable.

Agony overcomes me, and my vision goes red…

…

…

 _…feed…_

 _…need to feed…_

 _…so hungry…_

 _*sniff*_

 _…food…_

 _Food._

 _FOOD!_

 _…slaughter…_

* * *

 _The earth below is above my feet when the clock is laughing at me  
When copy cats and the lazy brats are the last thing I want to see  
No, my enemy is a friend of mine in a friendly place to be seen  
Hey, you know I'll run away for a couple years just to prove I've never been free_

* * *

That was the last the dragon was himself.

After the hunger took him, he became just as rabid a beast as the other hollows.

The only difference…

He was stronger.

Much stronger.

The 'newborns' were almost not worth killing, so pathetic they were. The massive lumbering creatures weren't much better. With their baggy cloth-like skin and ugly white masks, they were just as hideous as they were stupid. But still, they contained a lot of power, and were at least a small challenge to take down.

But the hollows he longed for were the ones like him. The strongest.

In his beastial mind, the dragon found that the insatiable drive to fight was second only to the hunger in his chest.

Every moment of his existence, all he longed to do was find the strongest hollow and slaughter it. Bath in its blood, dance in its gore, and consume its life.

The Menos Forest was his playground, the hollows his toys.

They stood no chance.

But the sudden drop in hollows did not go unnoticed.

Word spread of they terrifying dragon hollow that killed without remorse. He was soon bestowed a name.

 _'La Muerte Blanca'._

The White Death.

The dragon felt no ties to the name. While _La Muerte Blanca_ was certainly formidable, it wasn't something he wished to go by. It was a title, not a name.

And so the dragon continued forward, endlessly searching for more power, but also, searching for a name and a purpose.

* * *

 _They will never find me here  
Yeah  
Ima make a deal with the bad wolf so the bad wolf don't bite no more_

* * *

In the ends, it was a ram that brought the dragon from his madness and granted him a purpose…

...

The dragon was tired of the forest beneath the sand, as he'd since eaten all the powerful hollows. What remained was little more than scraps for him.

In the weeks that he'd haunted the forest, the dragon's mind had slowly began to clear. With each hollow he consumed, the dragon was pushed closer to his evolution, and thus the return of his sanity.

Such an oddity, for him to go mad like that. He was an adjuchas level, yet he had lost himself much like a newborn.

Then again, nothing about the dragon was normal.

Consumed with boredom, he decided to see what existed beyond the forest. So with a terrific roar, he unfurled his massive wings and took to the sky. Even as the canopy of sand neared him, the dragon continued to fly. Instinct told him to continue, that to escape the woodland prison, he would have to go through its ceiling.

Without hesitation, the dragon opened his mouth wide and unleashed a bright red flash of energy.

The cero cut cleanly through the sand, leaving a wide tunnel to the surface in its wake. The dragon flew through the hole he had made, and found himself for the first time in his short life on the surface.

It wasn't what he expected, but at the same time, it was.

The world around him was an endless white desert. The sky was black, the only light being the crescent moon that hung proud above the empty world.

The dragon could see nothing in every direction he faced, simply a never-ending expanse of nothing.

Huffing, the dragon stretched out his wings once more, and with a powerful thrust, become air-born.

While the desert was a bare and lonely sight, it did have its own sort of beauty to it, especially flying above it. From his aerial view, the white sands looked like glistening snow, the tips of the underground forest like branches made from diamonds.

The dragon had no idea for how long he flew. If could have been hours, it could have been weeks. In a place that was eternal night, it was impossible to tell.

The dragon was contemplating landing for a bit of rest when he felt it.

Power.

The breathing power of a hollow.

But this was far stronger than any of the hollows he had faced within the forest. Curiosity and hunger got the better of him, and the dragon folded in his wings to spiral down toward the source of the power.

He landed with a great crash in the white sands. The tiny grains swirled up around him in a massive cloud, blocking his view of the hollow.

When the sand finally settled, the last haze of madness finally left him…

...

….my eyes blink rapidly, forcing the red haze away.

How long had I been out of control? What had happened? I feel wobbly on my feet, my head spinning with dizziness.

But at the same time, I feel so much stronger than before.

My thoughts are cut off when I finally notice the heavy presence around me. I look up, and my jaw goes slack.

Before me stands the strangest hollow I have ever seen. It is a color I've never seen, yet know to be green.

It stands on four legs, like me, but that's about where the similarities between us end.

Its legs are long and hoofed. From its neck spills a thick mane, the same brown as the tail swishing behind it. The hollow's mask is shaped like a horse (yet another thing I don't know how I know), but a pair of ram horns curl from its head.

The hollow stares at me without fear, its green on black eyes bright with intelligence.

 **"Who are you, adjuchas?"** Demands the ram hollow in a clearly feminine voice.

My head tilts to the side in my curiosity. **"You're a girl?"**

The ram snorts through her wide nostrils. **"I am. Now answer my question."**

" **I don't know my name."** I admit. **"I'm not even sure if I have one."** I pause, thinking back to her earlier words. **"You called me an adjuchas. What is that?"**

The ram's brow almost seems to rise in surprise. **"You don't know what you are?"** I remain silent. **"How old are you?"**

I ponder for a moment. I can't remember much through the red haze, but I have a vague idea to how long I'd been hunting in the forest. **"I'm not really sure. Several months, I think."**

 **"Months?!"** Gasps the female. **"Yet you are already this powerful?!"**

I shrug, as best I can anyway. **"So what is an adjuchas?"** I repeat.

Her narrowing eyes don't go unnoticed by me. She suddenly feels uneasy around me. But I want answers, and so far she's the only way I seem to be able to get them. I can't have her run off on me because she thinks I'm a threat.

 **"I'm not going to hurt you."** I tell her truthfully. **"We're about evenly matched in strength. Fighting you would do more damage than what it'd be worth. Besides, you're the only one I've met who can answer my questions."**

The ram nods slowly in understanding. To help ease her even more, I lay down on my belly with my forelegs crossed comfortably over each other.

It works and the ram also relaxes.

 **"Alright, an adjuchas is the level of hollow you are at now, same as me."** She explains. **"We are the second in the menos evolution."**

 **"Menos? Evolution?"**

 **"You really do know nothing, do you?"**

 **"Hey!"** I snap. The growl rumbling in my chest is an only half conscious action. **"I haven't really been around that long, and up till now I haven't exactly spoken with anyone."**

Her ears twitch. **"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I was merely stating a fact."** She apologizes. **"Anyway, we hollows consume souls to evolve. We all start out as humans, then become 'bases', the infant form of a hollow. After either consuming a great deal of souls, or if there is a massive congregation of bases, a Gillian will be formed. Gillian are the combined souls of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of hollows. They take the shape of tall humanoid beings with white masks and pointed noses."**

My head nods in understanding. **"Yeah, I've seen lots of those in the forest."** I flick my tail and add, **"I ate most of them."**

The ram hollow seems surprised by my comment, but doesn't say anything. **"By 'the forest' I'm assuming you mean the Menos Forest located beneath the sand?"**

I nod again.

 **"That's where most Gillian live, along with bases and weaker adjuchas. Like I said, we are both adjuchas evolutions, the stage after Gillian. When a single soul takes control of a Gillian, it becomes an adjuchas."**

I gesture for her to continue. **"The next and final evolution is that of the Vasto Lorde, the complete hollow. It is what we all aspire to become."**

I think for a moment. I can feel that my power was nearing a tipping point. Does that mean I'm close to becoming a Vasto Lorde? If so, how much farther do I have to go before then? Is there any way to speed up my evolution? I might know almost nothing about myself, but I do know patience is not my strong suit.

 **"What is your name?"** I find myself asking.

The ram is silent, studying me with calculating green eyes. Finally, she answers. **"My name is Nelliel, though I suppose you can call me Nel."**

 **"It's a please to meet you Nel."** I grin.

Nel nods, a sparkle of mirth in her eyes. **"To you as well. Though I do think you need a name yourself."**

I sigh. **"I told you, I don't remember what my name was, if I ever had one."**

Nel laughs, a large grin somehow spread on her equine face. **"Then we'll just have to come up with one for you!"**

I eye her curiously. **"What do you suggest?"**

Nel ponders for a moment. **"How about... Eleuterio?"**

 **"Eleuterio?"**

She nods. **"Yes, Elliot for short.** "

I consider both names, rolling them around in my head. They aren't bad. I have no idea what they meant, but all in all, they aren't bad.

 **"Sure. I like it."** With a wide grin, I give a low bow. **"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nelliel. My name is Eleuterio."**

Nel laughs, giving a bow of her own. **"The pleasure is all mine."**

And thus, a friendship was forged within the heartless Land of Hollows…

* * *

 ** _"Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . ."  
-C.S. Lewis_**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** _I don't own Bleach, the quotes, or the song._

 **Song:** _'Hollow Moon'_ by AWOLNATION

* * *

 **A.N.**

Hello guyses! I'm baaaaack! And in the Bleach fandom too!

So I've had this idea for a while, and finally got around to writing it. Yay! I'm really enjoying it so far, and I hope you will too.

For any of those wondering, I have NOT abandoned _Still-Born_ or _What the Mirror Saw_. In fact, I am working on them right now! As rewrites actually. Now please don't get mad at me! I know rewrites can suck, but I promise these will be good. I'm making it a personal goal to at least double all the chapters, and add a lot more plot and new scenes.

Still-Born's going to remain mostly the same, but I'm planning some pretty big changes with Mirror.

I wanted to create more angst and conflict, with a villain other than Aizen to start out with. And what better villain is there than one in your very soul?

That's right, 'Old Man Zangetsu' is going to be one of my baddies. Sorry if any of you like him. I just think it'll be an interesting twist.

 ***Spoiler-ish*** Instead of the 'Old Man' being Ichigo's Quincy powers, he's gonna be a part of Yhwach's consciousness, which has stolen Zangetsu's power and tricked Ichigo into thinking he is his zanpakuto. Why? That remains to be seen!

Whelp, back to this story; this is gonna be a pretty big AU. Ichigo's dead and a hollow, his adjuchas form looks nothing like what we've seen, and Nel's not even a Vasto Lorde yet!

I love stories with Ichigo as an arrancar. I love even more when he becomes the 'King of Hueco Mundo'. That's why _White_ is one of my all-time favorite Bleach fics.

So naturally Ichigo's gonna wind up being a badass O.P. king of hollows!

I'm thinking of this winding up as an Ichigo/Nel story, but I haven't decided yet. Let me know what you guys would like. I want him to be paired with an arrancar, and an Espada level, (which really only leaves Nel, Tia, and an oc)

Let me know what you think! Follow, favorite, review, all that good shit!

 **Edited/Revised 2/7/16**


	2. We Are Forever

Part One: Rise of the Hollow King

Chapter Two: We Are Forever

 _We were the ones who weren't afraid  
We were the broken hearted  
We were the scars that wouldn't fade away  
How did we let go  
how did we forget that we don't have to hide  
We won't believe the lies again  
We won't be paralyzed_

 ** _"_** ** _Ellioooooot! Rise and shiiiiiine!"_**

A yell and a sudden weight on his side jerked the slumbering dragon into wakefulness.

 **Eleuterio** cracked one golden eye open to glair at his excitable companion.

Nel had globbed him just between his chest and gut, knocking the breath out of him, though the large adjuches did his best not to show it.

 **"** **Nel…"**

The young vasto lorde had decency enough to look sheepish beneath his glare. **"He-he, uh, sorry?"**

 **Eleuterio** just rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet, knocking Nel off his side and onto her rear in the process.

The woman landed with an _'oomph'_. She craned her head back to pout at the now standing Elliot. **"Why'd'ya have to knock me over?"** She whined.

 **"** **That's what you get for waking me up."** The dragon glanced up at the ever-present moon above. **"How long did I sleep anyway?"**

Nel shrugged her armored shoulders. **"A couple hours I guess."**

 **Eleuterio** 's gaze remained on the moon. At first one would think the moon remained forever frozen in place, but the inhabitants of Hueco Mundo knew their bright satellite above did indeed move. Just very, very slowly.

 **Eleuterio** knew that he'd been with Nel for six months, one full year since awaking in Hueco Mundo. The full moon told him so.

The placing of the small shadows on its surface told him it'd been two weeks since Nel had evolved. And it was the size of those shadows that confirmed Nel's assessment.

It took a while to master, but all who lived in Hueco Mundo could read the moon.

The dragon twisted his long neck around to look back at his friend and companion. **"Ready to head out?"**

Nel grinned beneath her mask, smile barely visible between the jaws of her ram skull. **"Of course."**

 **Eleuterio** huffed a laugh as he lowered himself to his belly, allowing Nel to easily hop onto his back. After checking to make sure the smaller hollow was secured between his shoulders, the dragon unfurled his massive black wings. With one great thrust, the two were air born. Three more and they were gliding far above the sands.

 **Eleuterio** closed his eyes as he enjoyed the freedom of flight.

' _This, this right here is what makes my life worth living.'_ The thought was bittersweet. He felt Nel shift on his back. _'No, she makes it worth it too.'_

A burst of spirit energy brought **Eleuterio** from his thoughts. His gold-on-black eyes opened, then narrowed as he searched the horizon for the hollow that the energy belonged to.

 **"** **There, a bit to your left."** Nel said from his back.

 **Eleuterio** followed her pointed finger to see a black shape far in the distance. **"I see it."** Wind howled against his white flesh as **Eleuterio** sped toward the hollow. A wide, almost sadistic grin slowly formed beneath his mask. **"You ready Nel?"**

The vasto lorde lounging on his back threw back her head and laughed. **"Course I am! More than ready, I'm starving!"**

 **Eleuterio** 's grin became even wider. A laugh of his own surged from his chest unbidden when he caught view of the hollow.

It was massive. And ugly.

From the stomach up the creature was humanoid, if overly bulbous with muscle. But where two legs should exist was instead more or less the body of a caterpillar. Long, many legged, and all around hideous.

 **Eleuterio** almost felt bad for the hollow. Call him vain, but the dragon knew he was a very attractive creature, especially for a hollow.

His companion was nothing to scoff at either. Nel's tall, hourglass figure and long teal hair marked her as quite the beauty.

It was too bad hollows felt no form of sexual attraction.

Well, perhaps not unfortunate for the hollow beneath them. It was very unlikely it would find anyone interested in him.

Not that it really mattered, he'd be dead in a few minutes.

 **Eleuterio** glanced at Nel from the corner of his eye. **"Holding on tight?"**

 **"** **Yup! Let's go."**

No more encouragement was needed. Without a word, **Eleuterio** folded in his wings and began his dive.

He took a deep breath, then began charging a cero deep in his throat.

He carefully eyed the distance between him and the massive hollow.

Almost.

Almost.

Almost.

There!

The dragon's jaw opened wide and from it came a massive red cero. The hollow had no time to react as the attack hit him point-blank in the chest.

The earth shook as the giant hollow collapsed, blood gushing from the gaping wound in his chest.

Nel jumped from **Eleuterio** 's back before his feet even touched the sand. Landing gracefully, he followed behind his friend to the dying hollow.

She walked slowly towards it, a grim look on her face. In her heart, Nel hated death. She hated consuming others so she herself could survive.

But it was the reality of Hueco Mundo. If you did not feed, then you yourself were eaten.

So with no emotion, Nel gripped the hollow's massive head in her thin hands, and twisted. A loud _'snap'_ echoed through the empty expanse of sand. The creature died instantly, its neck snapped, silenced forever.

 **Eleuterio** watched with a blank stare as his companion began to eat. The moment blood touched her tongue, Nel went into the feeding frenzy that all hollows were slave to. She tore into the corpse will all the mindlessness of a starved dog.

The dragon waited patiently for his friend to eat her fill. She was the one to end the hollow, so it was her right to eat first.

One fourth of the massive adjuches was gone before Nel's appetite was sated.

She took a step beck, whipping the blood from her lips with the back of her hand. Her gaze still lacking emotion, she turned to her companion and nodded.

 **Eleuterio** tore into the carcass with vigor greater even than Nel, tearing off flesh to swallow it hole. It was a gory sight, the dragon ripping the other to shreds.

It took nearly an hour for the body to be completely consumed, so large it had been.

 **Eleuterio** stepped away from the blood-stained sand and made to turn back to Nel, only to freeze as his body was rocked by sudden tremors.

His golden eyes widened as energy surged through his being, igniting his bones. What started as simple discomfort erupted in agonizing pain.

 **Eleuterio** threw his head back and shrieked for all the world to hear his agony. His limbs shook, barely holding him up.

It felt as if his hide were being pealed off his bones, those bones pounded to dust, and the remain bits and pieces lit with fire.

From his chest, his soul, burst forth an energy like no other. **Eleuterio** collapsed under his own spirit energy, so massive and overpowering it was.

He thrashed weakly on the sands as his body was being ripped apart by the energy. He felt the thick armor that had saved his life so many times strip away, his limbs shifting, the bones cracking as they changed shape. His tail suddenly went numb, only to erupt in even more torture.

His neck was the worst, collapsing in on itself.

With one last burst of unimaginable power, the energy vanished back into his soul, burning just below the surface. With it went the pain, though an intense ache pulsed through every nerve.

 **Eleuterio** lay limp in the sand, his breaths labored and pupils so dilated that they seemed non-existent.

Nel approached her companion slowly. She knew what he'd just gone through. The pain that came with the change.

Her dearest friend had just become a vasto lorde, the greatest of all the hollows.

 **Eleuterio** weakly looked up at the female lorde, his eyes unfocused. **"What just happened?"** He croaked out. His voice was a cracked and mangled sound, but at the same time Nel could tell that beneath it was the regale tongue she'd come to enjoy the sound of. Yet, even that sounded different. Not quite as rumbling, not as deep.

Nel knelt down beside her cherished friend, a small but joyous smile on her face.

 **"** **Congratulations. You've just become a true king of hollows. A Vasto Lorde."**

 _We can be who we are  
Now we are alive  
We can fight they cannot contain us  
It's who we are  
We are undying  
We are forever_

I feel so drained. So weak and racked with pain. I can feel my muscles twitch every now and then.

 _What the hell just happened?_

Glancing up, I see Nel standing beside me. I ask her as much.

The smile that blooms on her lips brings forth a sensation that I'd never before felt. An odd, fluttering feeling in the bottom of my gut, and a tightening of my throat. As if my insides had decided that wanted to be my outsides.

 **"** **Congratulations."** Nel whispers, seeming to know of my pounding headache and responds in the considerate way of hers. **"You've just become a true king of hollows. A Vasto Lorde."**

My mind draws a blank. What was she talking about? I'm pretty sure I just died, not transformed into a Vasto Lorde.

Yet, when I reach out my senses, I feel a soul power so overwhelming I have to pull back the moment I touch it. A few moments after, I realize that the power is my own.

 _How can one creature be this strong? How am_ **I** _this strong?_

I feel my strength returning, and decide I've been lying in the bloodied sand long enough. I push myself to my four feet, only to realize how utterly ridiculous the position feels.

Glancing down, I see that my legs are much longer than they once were.

Above me I hear a giggle. I look up, only to scowl at the amused face of Nel.

 **"** **You're bi-pedal now, silly. Stand up on your back legs."**

I roll my eyes, but shakily push myself up. I nearly fall, being saved from the disgrace only my Nel's steady grip on my shoulder.

Steadying myself on my new legs, I look myself over. I had indeed become bi-pedal, however, my legs retain the back-bowed structure they'd had before. My toes are clawed, as are my hands (now complete with posable thumbs, handy).

Looking at my torso, I see a lean and toned body, clearly defined muscles telling of predatory grace. I'm taller than Nel by a massive amount. I think I stand well over two meters now (around eight feet). My hollow hole is now positioned in the middle of my chest. Black markings stretch out from the empty cavity, wrapping around my sides and shoulders.

Something moves behind me. I crane my head around to see I still have a tail, though it is much thinner now. I also still possess wings, just as massive as before.

I experimentally stretch them open and give a hearty beat. Sand swirls up around us in a choking cloud. I simply release a pulse of soul energy, blasting the sand away.

 **"** **You look good."** Nel complements me. Her grin is wide, eyes appraising. I smile back, something that feels odd on my face. Speaking of…

 **"** **What does my face look like?"** I ask.

Nel hums. **"You still have the same horns, but now your mask looks like a human skull. Kinda demonic, honestly. Really sharp teeth. It's white with black markings. And you've got really long white hair."**

I look behind my shoulder to see that my hair has indeed grown and bleached. Interesting.

A catch of light draws my attention to something to my left. I turn to see… something… stabbed into the sand. I step closer, Nel following behind.

The thing is long and thin, pure silvery white, and above all, deadly.

 **"** **A sword…"**

I reach out, fingertips almost brushing the cloth-wrapped hilt, when Nel speaks. **"Wait!"**

I look over my shoulder at her. **"What is it?"**

She shifts nervously. **"Swords like that… that's what death gods use to kill hollows with…"**

I flinch away from the sword.

 _Death god._

The antithesis of a hollow. Our opposite, and our destroyers. Death gods hunt us with extreme prejudice, slaying us without mercy. Either they are ignorant that we aren't mindless monster, or they just don't care.

I'd heard a great many horror stories during my life in Hueco Mundo. Tales of young hollows, dying terrified and alone at the hands of death gods.

But even worse were the Quinces. While a death god would send a hollow's soul to hell, a Quincy arrow would destroy us completely.

My fist clenches as I stare at the sword. Nel's right, it does look like a death god's weapon, and yet…

My hand wraps around the sword's hilt. The moment my flesh touches it, a sensation like I'd never felt before overwhelms me, drowning Nel's screams into incomprehensible muffles.

Electricity tingles through my nerves, a strange sense of _completeness_ fills my soul. Soft drumming, like a heartbeat, pulses in rhyme with my non-existent heart.

At the edges of my senses, I hear the softest murmurs of… someone.

 _Who-?_

Then I'm snapped back into reality. Comprehension comes back slowly. I'm on my knees, using the sword to keep me from a mouthful of sand. Nel hovers over me.

 **"** **Elliot? Are- are you okay?"**

I nod slowly. **"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Just… felt something weird."** I look up at her with a confident grin. **"It's not a death god sword. Not really sure** ** _what_** **it is, but it's not a soul-stealer."**

I push myself to my feet. Both our attention turns toward the sword. It's easily half as long as I am tall. Pale white metal, it doesn't even look real. The blade's tip has three wave-like protrusions, while the middle is hollowed out. The hilt is wrapped in black cloth, with a white chain hanging down from the end. The guard is shaped like a pronged cross. The design is familiar, but I can't seem to place it.

The sword is amazingly light. I give it an experimental swing. It feels so natural in my hand, like it was always meant to be with me.

 **"** **I think…. The sword might be part of my evolution…"**

Nel stares at me wide-eyed. **"What do you mean?"**

I struggle to find the words to explain what exactly I mean, which isn't the easiest thing to do when I don't even really know what I mean.

 **"** **It's like… it's a part of me, I guess. Like, you know how we can feel each other? Feel our souls?"**

Nel nods.

 **"** **It's kind of like that. But it feels like…** ** _me_** **."**

Nel hesitantly stretches out a hand, but I give her a reassuring nod, prompting her to rest her fingers on the flat of the blade. I see her green eyes grow wide beneath her mask.

 **"** **It does feel like you."** Her hand draws away quickly. **"I've never heard of a hollow gaining a sword…"**

I smirk. **"There's a fist time for everything. Guess I'm just special."**

She punches me. I just laugh.

 _We won't hide our faces from the light_

 _Eliminate the space between us_

 _It's who we are_

 _We are forever_

 _It's who we are_

 **Eleuterio found that he could use the chain on his sword to sheath it on his back (minus an actual sheath).**

 **The two hollows continued their life much as they had before, wandering the desert, searching for their next meal.**

 **It was a depressing existence, made bearable only from the other's company.**

They continued to travel in an unknown direction, drawn south but having no idea why. As they neared their mysterious destination, the pair came across more hollows than they'd ever before. Most were mid-level adjuches, though there were a handful of stronger.

The weaker hollows were always devoured, however, the stronger were not touched. It wasn't because the pair couldn't overpower them.

Rather, it was a sign of respect, that these few hollows could build their strength to near that of a Lorde.

It was a month after Eleuterio evolved into a Vasto Lorde that _he_ appeared.

 _We were the tears that passion cried_

 _We were the sacrifice_

 _We were the flame that wouldn't die inside_

 _How did we go wrong_

 _We will not forget_

 _We will not be left behind_

 _We won't give up the fight again_

 _We won't be denied_

I am resting against a rock when I feel it.

A spirit energy nearly as powerful as my own. I tense, feeling Nel do the same beside me. We glance at each other, then as one turn toward the source of the energy.

It starts out as a small spot in the night sky, but as the creature nears, I can see a mirror of myself.

Powerful, horned, and winged, this new hollow touches down a distance away, close enough that I can see him clearly, but far enough to be out of range for immediate attack.

The new hollow is much thinner than me, but not quite as tall. His bat-wings are large and just as black as my own, his skin just as pale.

His mask is mouthless, wide green eyes set beneath a pair of twisting white horns and a mess of ebony hair.

He has claws and a long thin tail tipped with black fur.

This here, is a fellow Vasto Lorde…

His head tilts in curiosity. I find myself doing the same.

 **"** **Who are you?"** I rumble.

The bat-like Lorde remains silent.

My eyes narrow. **"Well? Can't you talk?"**

He shakes his head 'no'. I stare at him in surprise. _Cannot speak?_

The hollow takes a step forward, causing Nel and myself to tense. He freezes, then raises his hands in a sign of surrender.

I nod the slightest bit, and the bat walks forward slowly. He stops a few meters away from us, then kneels.

We watch as he carves something in the sand with his wicked claws. A few symbols later, he pulls his hand back and looks at us expectantly.

I step forward.

Written in the sand are words of flawless Spanish, the native language of hollows.

 _'_ _No, I cannot speak. My name is Ulquiorra. What is the both of yours?'_

 **"** **I am Eleuterio, and this is Nelliel."**

Ulquiorra nods, then begins to write again. _'A pleasure to meet you.'_

Nel grins at him. **"What are you doing here?"**

 _'_ _Looking for you.'_

My head tilts. **"Looking for us? Why?"**

'You are strong, fellow Vasto Lorde…"

 **"** **You're lonely."** Nel finishes. Ulquiorra nods slowly.

He pauses for a moment before writing once more. _'Why are you going to Los Noches?'_

 _We will never die_

 _We will never die_

 _We will not deny_

 _Now we are alive_

 **A.N.**

Yup, I killed Yammy. I never liked that caterpillar bastard.

A few things,

First, I've decided to make this an Ichigo/Nel story. Sorry if any of you were hoping for different, but I feel like plot/character-wise, it's the most realistic pairing. I'm not going to focus so much on romance, it's just going to more or less be there.

I have some other pairings in mind, but first I'd like to hear if you guys have anyone you want to see together.

Second, this is going to be a big story. And I mean BIG. Not sure chapter/word wise, but I'm guessing at least 50+ chapters. I have at least five arcs planned out, with the plot spanning over of fifteen years. Like I said, big.

It's also going to be a war story. That means character deaths. I already have some deaths planned, but I'd like to get your input. Who do you want to survive the whole story? Who would you be okay seeing dead? Anyone you _want_ dead?

We'll be going over the Substitute Shinigami arc, The Winter War, an arc of my own creation covering the aftermath of the war, and the Thousand Year Blood War. I plan for this arc to have around ten or so chapters left.

I'll be posting art on my DeviantArt later. Warning, some of them will have spoilers.

Also, OCs. Sorry for those who don't like OCs, but the plot calls for them. Again, big story, big world-building, lots of characters.

Hopefully you'll like my OCs.

Till next time! R&R!

 **Song:** _'_ _We Are'_ by RED

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the song.**


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